Toward reference models for requirements traceability

Requirements traceability is intended to ensure continued alignment between stakeholder requirements and various outputs of the system development pro cess. To be useful, traces must be organized according to some modeling fra mework. Indeed, several such frameworks have been proposed, mostly based on theoretical considerations or analysis of other literature. This paper, in contrast, follows an empirical approach. Focus groups and interviews condu cted in 26 major software development organizations demonstrate a wide rang e of traceability practices with distinct low-end and high-end users of tra ceability. From these observations, reference models comprising the most im portant kinds of traceability links for various development tasks have been synthesized. The resulting models have been validated in case studies and are incorporated in a number of traceability tools. A detailed case study o n the use of the models is presented. Four kinds of traceability link types are identified and critical issues that must be resolved for implementing each type and potential solutions are discussed. Implications for the desig n of next-generation traceability methods and tools are discussed and illus trated.